sake of example that the treason of
an inferior towards his superior should receive fitting chastisement, I
demand that Pacho Bey, formerly in my service, should be beheaded, he
being the real rebel, and the cause of the public calamities which are
afflicting the faithful of Islam. Thirdly, I require that for the rest
of my life I shall retain, without annual re-investiture, my pachalik of
Janina, the coast of Epirus, Acarnania and its dependencies, subject to
the rights, charges and tribute due now and hereafter to the sultan.
Fourthly, I demand amnesty and oblivion of the past for all those who
have served me until now. And if these conditions are not accepted
without modifications, I am prepared to defend myself to the last.

"Given at the castle of Janina, March 7, 1821."

CHAPTER X

This mixture of arrogance and submission only merited indignation, but it
suited Kursheed to dissemble. He replied that, assenting to such
propositions being beyond his powers, he would transmit them to
Constantinople, and that hostilities might be suspended, if Ali wished,
until the courier, could return.

Being quite as cunning as Ali himself, Kursheed profited by the truce to
carry on intrigues against him. He corrupted one of the chiefs of the
garrison, Metzo-Abbas by name, who obtained pardon for himself and fifty
followers, with permission to return to their homes. But this clemency
appeared to have seduced also four hundred Skipetars who made use of the
amnesty and the money with which Ali provided them, to raise Toxis and
the Tapygetae in the latter's favour. Thus the Seraskier's scheme turned
against himself, and he perceived he had been deceived by Ali's seeming
apathy, which certainly did not mean dread of defection. In fact, no man
worth anything could have abandoned him, supported as he seemed to be by
almost supernatural courage. Suffering from a violent attack of gout, a
malady he had never before experienced, the pacha, at the age of
eighty-one, was daily carried to the most exposed place on the ramparts
of his castle. There, facing the hostile batteries, he gave audience to
whoever wished to see him. On this exposed platform he held his
councils, despatched orders, and indicated to what points his guns should
be directed. Illumined by the flashes of fire, his figure assumed
fantastic and weird shapes. The balls sung in the air, the bullets
hailed around him, the noise drew blood from the ears of tho